Who We Are
Life with IBD provides education, research, and resources for young people with Crohn’s or Colitis. Our areas of interest in research include exploring the effects of living with these conditions on young people in particular, from mental health issues to eating disorders.
We also host a podcast, deal with it, in which founder Noa Figlin discusses her experiences living with Crohn’s, and interviews guests including patients, doctors, researchers and treatment providers.
IBD now affects 1 in 200 individuals in Western countries
What is ibd?
Crohn’s disease is the chronic (long-term), relapsing, and progressive inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (Roda et al., 2020).
Likewise, Ulcerative Colitis chronically destructs the colon solitarily, causing permanent lesions.
Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease are Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and their etiology stems from no single criterion; IBD is largely presumed to result due to genetic susceptibility to disease and subjection to environmental factors (Lewis and Abreu, 2017).
The inflammatory burden of IBD is potentiated by the “Western” diet which includes foods low in fruits and vegetables, but high in protein and animal fat (Nakayuenyongsuk et al., 2017).
Research widely accepts that diet is the most prominent environmental factor affecting the development of IBD. This shift to processed foods and food additives alters the host-gut systems (Nakayuenyongsuk et al., 2017). Due to the mentioned diet variation, the global prevalence of IBD now affects “1 in 200 individuals in Western countries,” an ever-increasing statistic (Roda et al., 2020). Exceptionally, with a rising incidence in pediatric populations (Rosen et al., 2015).
Symptoms of IBD can include:
High temperature
Vomiting
Anemia
Painful red skin bumps
Jaundice
Stomach pain or cramps
Swelling in the tummy
Recurring or bloody diarrhea
Weight loss
Fatigue
reductions
The reduction in quality of life in this population further intensifies malnutrition and social isolation (Ilzarbe et al., 2017). Specifically, pediatric IBD patients are much more susceptible to psychiatric disorders due to the impact of chronic disease on the mental health of adolescents (Loftus et al., 2011). Additionally, patients go through other reductions: impairment of social and professional activities and poor health overall.